Look Who Came for a Visit

June 19, 2013

The gangs all here. That's right, the gang from the Virginia Bicycle Federation (VBF), minus a few key board members, stopped into Adventure Cycling Association yesterday and awarded me a special gift. Those snazzy reflector gloves not only will alert others to my presence on the road, but carry the VBF website address (in case I ever forget!).

Standing with Jim Sayer and myself are Barbara (pink) and Gary Durek (yellow), Joe Morgan (blue), and Jeanne Duddy (paying tribute to the gloves). These are special people in the bicycle travel world. Barb, Gary, and Joe have worked diligently to build awareness of the U.S. Bicycle Routes (USBRs) running through Virginia with the state department of transportation and other local government agencies. Joe works on a long distance route committee that aims to garner support from the agencies and local communities for USBRs and the East Coast Greenway. Barb, a long time USBR 76 advocate, designed pins for cyclists who complete the TransAmerica Trail/USBR 76 in Yorktown.

I'm used to seeing this group on my travels out east, it was a treat to see them in my town for a change. The travelers departed Frisco, CO on May 31 and were ending their trip in Missoula on June 18. They'd encountered a good amount of mud in Colorado (but avoided fires) and saw temperature swings from freezing to over 90 degrees in their two weeks on the road. Over the years, the group has completed segmets of the TransAm, with just a few more segmets to go, I believe they said Oregon was their next section, leaving Kansas for last.

A quick shout out to the VBF: Thanks for the gloves guys, but more importantly, thanks for the countless hours of advocacy and dedication to seeing bicycle tourism flouish in Virginia. Until next time, tail winds!